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What is the origin of the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses?"


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The phrase "keeping up with the Joneses" originated in 1913 as the title of a comic strip by Arthur R. "Pop" Momand. In the comic strip, two families, the Smiths and the Joneses, were portrayed as two middle-class families that were constantly competing to one-up each other in possessions and appearances. The phrase has since come to describe the constant striving for material possessions that reflect social class and comparison to one's peers.